Government budgets support marketing

Budget speeches in Victoria and Ottawa this week didn’t use the word “agriculture” but the province did give a 5% boost to the provincial agriculture ministry.

The provincial budget on April 20 gave a $4.4 million boost to agriculture ministry operations, lifting the ministry’s annual budget to $99.8 million. This is up from $95.4 million last year.

The majority of the funds go to “agriculture resources,” strengthening support for the ministry’s mandate to Grow BC, Feed BC and Buy BC.

The BC Agriculture Council says this translates to $10 million over the next 3 years, supporting the role agriculture plays in the province’s recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That’s good news,” says BCAC executive director Reg Ens.

However, he also pointed to more than $60 million in funding through other ministries that promises to support agriculture.

The single biggest item is $35 million for quarantining incoming foreign workers prior to their departure to farms across the province. This is equivalent to the amount the province spent on the landmark program last year.

“That’s a huge bump in support for farmers or ranchers – almost a third of the provincial ag budget that comes in that one program,” says Ens.

Also, $7.5 million from Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation is chipping in an additional $7.5 million for agritech innovation grants as well as carrying over $7 million to support the province’s expanding food hub network.

BCAC also has high hopes for $11 million allocated to support FrontCounterBC offices around the province. Ens expects much of this to be spent on staffing, improving service delivery and reducing processing times.

“Hopefully that’s going to improve some of the turn-around on tenure leases and some of licensing that happens,” he says. “Specifically where we’re hoping that helps is with the groundwater licensing issue, that huge backlog that’s there.”

The federal budget, presented a day earlier, held few surprises. Many initiatives were familiar, with key allocations addressing rural Internet connectivity, food production in northern Canada and climate change. Compensation for poultry processors affected by recent free trade agreements was announced, but no funding was allocated for losses sustained under CUSMA.

In addition, $101 million was budgeted for a two-year program to debut next year supporting wineries.

“[This] will support wineries in adapting to ongoing and emerging challenges, in line with Canada’s trade obligations,” the budget states. “The government will continue to be there for Canada’s domestic wine industry and the jobs it supports.”

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9 hours ago

It was another sell-out at the 31st annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival on Saturday with organizers selling 5,000 pounds of locally-grown, fresh berries in less than five hours. Youth from the Fort Langley Lions Club's Young Lions program scooped, bagged and weighed several pallets' worth of cranberries. Ocean Spray donated the berries, which the public bought to benefit the community. Local grower The Bog was also selling fresh berries, having brought 2,700 pounds, which were on track to sell out by the end of the#BCAgt.

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5 days ago

There was a lot of reminiscing and appreciation of how far BC's turkey industry has come at a reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the BC Turkey Association and the 60th anniversary of the BC Turkey Marketing Board yesterday in Abbotsford. With a slideshow of events and people over the years, guests laughed and had a lot to be thankful for. "It's an opportunity to celebrate the industry at a time of year that's known for turkey. It's a culmination of all the year's work," says Natalie Veles, executive director with BC Turkey Marketing Board.

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Love it - Deb Etsell I see you 🤩

6 days ago

BC was the sole province to see farmland values decline in the first half of this year, dropping 1.9% according to a Farm Credit Canada report released Octover 7. This represented an acceleration in value declines from last year, and contributed to a 3.9% decline in the 12 montsh ended June 30. The drop follows on a 1.7% decline last year, which Farm Credit Canada attributed to tougher times in the fruit sector. However, the mid-year report points to a broader slowdown in value growth diven by higher production costs, tighter margins and uncertainty around trade, tariffs and international markets.

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Ndp

3 weeks ago

Channels of communication remain open between the provincial and federal governments with respect to financial relief for extraordinary costs stemming from this summer's ongoing drought and wildfires, but the BC Cattlemen's Association is urging producers to register for AgriStability to position themselves for any AgriRecovery package. "Hardworking families in the ranching and agriculture sectors, who provide food for the province, need the AgriRecovery program in place as soon as possible," says BC Cattlemen's president Alex Kuchar. But the provincial election creates an unfortunate delay. "It's not fair, in any form of the word, to see all those people who have lost so much in the fires to have to wait in limbo," says BC Cattlemen's general manager Kevin Boon.

Photo | Barb Edmonson / Firefly Ranch, Clinton

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Feedback on changes to rules governing food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve has drawn about 250 submissions. But the proposal now hangs in the balance with Premier David Eby's decision to call a snap election, which also delays discussions of assistance for farmers hit hard by this year's wildfires and historic #BCAght.

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What would you expect from the NDP, when they still had a 2 year mandate?

Ridiculous timing. We have people needing answers and have to plan for winter supplies. Fires are long past, months have gone by knowing there was going to be the need for support. Drought was written on the wall even before summer began with no snow pack. This is not new to government and they are calling for another year just as bad for 2027. I throw my hands up and wonder what else needs to be more challenging than what we've experienced over the last 6 years in BC?

250 submissions.... I'm pretty sure there are more than 250 farmers in BC